Complete aside: the bagel recipe

So, I’ve been asked for the bagel recipe. I found one online that was very similar but that one had American measurements. So, hoping that Daniel Stevens and Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall won’t mind me reproducing this in return for a major plug for the book, Bread, from which it came:

Buy it on Amazon

Here is their recipe (or thereabouts) for 12 bagels.

500g strong white bread flour

5g powdered dried yeast

10g fine salt

250g warm water

20g caster sugar

50ml vegetable oil, plus extra for coating

To finish

1 medium egg, beaten

Poppy or sesame seeds (optional

Makes 12.

Mix together all the ingredients to make dough. Kneed it until it’s a ball and elasticy. Round into an oval shape and put it in a bowl, lightly coat with a tiny bit of oil, and cover loosely with cling film. Put the bowl somewhere warm and leave it until its doubled in size – about an hour.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into bagels, either by rolling into sausage shapes and joinging the ends with a little water or making a ball and stretching a hole into the middle with your fingers. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and put back in the warm place until they’ve doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200degrees. Boil a big pan of water and turn it down to a simmer. In batches, so they can float, boil each bagel for one minute on each side. Drain and rest on a tea towel to dry.

Reshape as necessary, brush with beaten egg, and add the seeds on top if you like. Then bake for 15 minutes until golden.